The first taste of Slash’s solo project has some fans losing their appetite for destruction. Yesterday the Velvet Revolver guitarist released a Japan-only two-song single featuring Cypress Hill and the Black Eyed Peas’ Fergie on a WTF version of the Guns n’ Roses classic “Paradise City.” That bizarre (albeit rocking) song and the single’s A side, “Sahara” — a collaboration with Koshi Inaba — quickly appeared on YouTube by day’s end.

“Until now, not too many people have heard Fergie sing rock & roll but she sings it better than most dudes I know. She’s a screamer at heart,” Slash wrote on his Twitter yesterday. This isn’t the first time the Duchess has attempted to out-Axl Axl Rose. Back in July 2008, Fergie and Slash performed “Sweet Child o’ Mine” together on several occasions. Fans turned off by the “Paradise City” remake needn’t worry: “This Japanese release will not be on my record in the West, which is all new original material,” Slash tweeted. (more…)

Guns n’ Roses have revealed plans to bring Chinese Democracy to North America… with a tour of Canada. Last week, various Canadian Websites including GEG.ca teased a huge announcement concerning Gn’R touring the Great White North. Today, a 13-date Canadian trek that starts January 13th in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and stretches across our neighbor to the North until February 4th in Halifax, Nova Scotia, was posted on Brave Words. Rolling Stone has received an official press release that proclaims the dates are part of “Guns n’ Roses Chinese Democracy World Tour” and can now confirm the dates are official.

Look back at classic shots of Gn’R, onstage and off.

Some of the dates are posted on Live Nation’s Website and others appear on Ticketmaster.ca’s site. The earliest presale begins October 21st. General admission floor seats and reserved seats in the stands are available; prices range from $49.50 to $89.50 Canadian before service charges. (more…)

Guns n’ Roses manager Irving Azoff has formally responded to claims the band illegally borrowed music from two songs by German electro artist Ulrich Schnauss on Chinese Democracy’s “Riad N’ the Bedouins.” As Rolling Stone reported yesterday, the Independiente and Domino labels announced they were suing the band for $1 million in damages, alleging the ambient noise at the top of the Gn’R track was created by Ulrich and used without permission. Today, Azoff said the band “vigorously contests these claims and intends to respond accordingly.” He added the band and production team’s legal reps will be responding soon, as well. His full statement follows:

“The band believed when the record came out and still believes that there are no unauthorized samples on the track. The snippets of ‘ambient noise’ in question were provided by a member of the album’s production team who has assured us that these few seconds of sound were obtained legitimately. Artists these days can’t read the minds of those they collaborate with and therefore are unfortunately vulnerable to claims like this one. (more…)

Photo: Kravitz/FilmMagic

Two independent record labels are suing Guns n’ Roses and Universal Music Group, claiming a track off Axl Rose’s Chinese Democracy copied portions of two songs by German electronic music artist Ulrich Schnauss. According to Reuters, Independiente and Domino’s lawsuit against Gn’R says that the band’s “Riad N’ the Bedouins” used parts of Ullrich’s “Wherever You Are” and “A Strangely Isolated Place” without permission. The labels are seeking $1 million in damages.

The way they were: look back at Guns n’ Roses early years.

Blabbermouth has the videos for both Schnauss tracks mentioned in the lawsuit (we’ve reposted them below), and after a few listens, it sounds like Domino and Independiente are going to have their work cut out for them in proving their case. Whereas there was a clear, though unintentional, melodic similarity between Joe Satriani’s “If I Could Fly” and Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida,” the Schnauss lawsuit focuses on 45 seconds of ambient soundscapes at the beginning of “Riad N’ the Bedouins,” before the song breaks into full guitar assault that shares no resemblance to Schnauss’ body of work. (more…)

Photo: Natkin/WireImage

Almost a year after the release of Chinese Democracy, Guns n’ Roses seem to finally be planning some concerts. Yet another date on the band’s rumored tour of Southeast Asia has hit the Web: according to AllAccess.co.kr Website, there’s a December 13th show at Seoul, Korea’s Olympic Park Gymnastics Stadium. Our Korean is a bit shaky, but it appears tickets for the concert go on sale October 6th.

The official Guns n’ Roses Website still doesn’t show any mention of tour dates in Southeast Asia, but that site isn’t exactly routinely maintained and updated. So far, a pair of concerts in Japan — in Osaka and Tokyo — and a December 11th concert in Taipei, Taiwan has also been announced by third parties, but no official word yet from Gn’R reps. (more…)

Photo: Lauren/WireImage
Former Guns n’ Roses/current Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum likes to talk, and we like to listen — especially when he’s talking Gn’R. During a recent interview with the Pulse of Radio (via Blabbermouth), Sorum spouted off about the prospects for a bona fide reunion of the original Gn’R, why he thinks it’s lame that Axl insists on touring under the Guns banner and laments life as a lowly drummer.

“Being the drummer in a rock & roll unit, you know you’re not the guy that’s making the decisions or, you know, which you’d like to be,” Sorum explains. “If you look at a lot of great bands that are out there, there’s a couple I can name that are run by drummers — Metallica, run by Lars Ulrich and a band called U2, run by Larry Mullen.” (Edit note: We’re sure Bono and James Hetfield would beg to differ). “I would like to think, ‘If you guys just let me run this band, things would go different,’ but it’s not the way it is.”

If hell were to actually freeze over, and Rose submit to a reunion of the band’s original lineup, Sorum, who joined the band three years after the release of Appetite for Destruction, thinks he and first Guns drummer Steve Adler should both participate. (more…)

Photo: Miller/FilmMagic

Axl Rose and Guns n’ Roses have recruited Sixx:A.M. guitarist DJ Ashba for their “upcoming tour,” the band announced in a press release issued Saturday, March 21st. Ashba is also known for co-writing and co-producing Mötley Crüe’s Saints of Los Angeles. Rock Daily recently reported that Gn’R were planning a worldwide stadium tour for this summer, so Ashba’s addition is likely the final piece of the touring-band puzzle before we start getting some concrete details regarding Axl and company hitting the road.

“DJ’s a gifted, energetic guitarist that Guns n’ Roses is proud to have on board!” Axl Rose said of his new axeman in an exclamation-point-packed statement. “We’re very excited to have the opportunity to work together. Guns’ radar has silently been aware of DJ’s presence for quite some time! He brings a fresh approach to our particular brand of mayhem expanding the tapestry of Guns n’ Roses live. Once DJ’s name was in the hat, the hat disappeared!” (more…)

Photo: George Chin
Axl Rose intends to follow last November’s release of Chinese Democracy with a worldwide Guns n’ Roses stadium tour this summer, according to industry insiders. If it comes to pass, the tour would mark the first U.S. stadium dates for the current line-up of Guns — their 2002 and 2006-’07 tours were arena outings, with some overseas stadium shows. (And contrary to one persistent online rumor, the band has absolutely no plans of playing Spain’s Kobetasonik Festival this June.)

Meanwhile, Guns’ manager, Irving Azoff, tells Rolling Stone that the band has big plans for this year. “Axl has been basically quiet, keeping out of the limelight for almost 15 years. People think they know him but they only really only know what has been said about him by questionable people,” Azoff says. “He is a good guy and often misunderstood — he is a professional who has worked very hard to build and maintain a high creative standard for Guns n’ Roses, which I support. We have some exciting things in the works this year for Gn’R, I’m looking forward to it.” (more…)

Photo: Mazur/WireImage

Axl Rose’s second official post-Chinese Democracy interview hit the Internet today as the Guns n’ Roses frontman talked with Spinner about his new album, why the group’s original lineup dissolved and why he’ll never reunite with Slash. Even though the interview was conducted by Rose’s good friend and Guns road manager Del James, the questions definitely aren’t softball and, as usual, Axl doesn’t hold anything back.

As Rose clearly stated in his message board rants and Billboard’s interview earlier this month, he really has no intention of ever reuniting with Slash. “There’s zero possibility of me having anything to do with Slash other than by ambush, and that wouldn’t be pretty,” Rose tells James, adding later that, “Slash either should not have been in Guns to begin with or should have left after Lies. In a nutshell, personally I consider him a cancer and better removed, avoided—and the less anyone heard of him or his supporters, the better.” (more…)

Photo: Mazur/Wireimage

Axl Rose has finally given his first official Chinese Democracy interview, answering Billboard’s questions via e-mail about Guns n’ Roses‘ new album, the Best Buy deal, touring and why he’ll never perform with Slash again. While Rose had recently responded to fan questions during several message board chats, the new Q&A is Rose’s first substantial print feature in nine years.

Rose doesn’t blame Best Buy’s exclusive deal for Chinese Democracy’s unexpectedly low sales, but points the finger at his labels, Interscope and Universal Music. “Unfortunately I have no information for me to believe [that] there was any real involvement or effort from Interscope,” Rose told Billboard. “I do know [that] I’ve been asking for a marketing plan for over five years and still haven’t got anything.”

Axl also addressed rumors that Gn’R has two more albums already finished. (more…)

It’s been more than a month since Axl Rose told fans that the music video for Chinese Democracy’s “Better” was a week away from debuting. In a message board interview, Guns n’ Roses associate Fernando Lebeis said Lars Ulrich was responsible for the hold-up because the Metallica drummer needed to sign a release. That was on December 30th. Today is January 21st (hell, it’s a new year!). So where’s the “Better” video? Don’t blame Lars, Ulrich says.

Asked whether he knew he was being blamed for “holding up” the video, Ulrich responded, “I have heard about this, yes. There was a couple of clips of me in the video and they asked if I would sign off on it. When it got to me, I signed off on the one clip… I don’t know where [the rumor] came from. I’d love to be in a Guns n’ Roses video. It’s my favorite song on the record — I think it’s a great song.” (more…)

Well, that was fast. Just days after telling a St. Louis newspaper that Guns n’ Roses were planning a two-year tour set to embark in March, guitarist Richard Fortus is now saying he was “misquoted” in the article. “OK, it seems that I am being misquoted once again,” Fortus told fans in a statement. “I never said that Gn’R would be playing St. Louis, nor did I say that we will be doing free shows or that we are starting a two-year tour in March! Selective hearing. Never said it.” Fortus’ denials come after the article printed quotes regarding Fortus and Rose joking about Gn’R’s return to St. Louis.

Let’s face facts: Fortus probably made some passing comments about an upcoming Chinese Democracy tour, but when word spread of Fortus’ interview Guns’ management probably told him to can the rumors. (more…)

Buried deep in an article about Guns n’ Roses guitarist Richard Fortus and his one-night reunion with Pale Divine is this bit of potentially huge news: A Gn’R tour should start in late March and is expected to last “at least two years,” according to Fortus. The band had hinted at a possible tour on their official Website in April, saying the fifth Chinese Democracy tour since 2001 was in negotiations — “When we begin to put tour plans together, we’ll see where things are,” the band said at the time — and a source close to the band told Rolling Stone an ‘09 tour was in the works. With album sales slumping and Axl Rose still reluctant to conduct any interview outside of message board forums, a tour is just what the album needs for a promotional boost. If the March start date is correct, it puts Guns in a position to headline several huge festivals in 2009 on both sides of the Atlantic. (more…)

Photo: Getty

The blogger arrested for leaking nine songs that ultimately wound up on Guns n’ Roses‘ Chinese Democracy pleaded guilty to federal copyright violation. Kevin Cogill made the plea at a Los Angeles court yesterday, admitting that he did leak the songs in June on his Antiquiet Website. Cogill initially pleaded not guilty at his first court date, but agreed to change his plea in exchange for the prosecution recommending he only receive probation. Cogill still faces a year in federal prison, probation and a large fine.

After Axl Rose’s long-awaited opus performed poorly on the sales charts, Cogill’s leak joins Best Buy’s lack of promotion and Rose’s refusal to promote the album as leading reasons why Chinese Democracy has been disappointing from a business perspective. For Cogill, the plea bargain is just the latest chapter in a long and litigious year that has included a clash with Gn’R’s management and a visit from the FBI. “If legal proceedings come my way, I’ll face them 100 percent,” Cogill told Rock Daily in June. “I’m not afraid of that. I did what I did, and I’ll face the music if I have to.”

Related Stories:

• “Chinese Democracy” Leaker Changes Plea to Guilty

• Did Guns n’ Roses Leaker Know He Broke the Law? Kevin Cogill Asks for Financial Aid

• “Chinese Democracy” Leaker Arrested on Suspicion of Violating Federal Copyright Law

Photo: Getty

Axl Rose was back on the message boards this weekend, answering fan questions as well as penning a long explanation for why he continues using the name “Guns n’ Roses” despite the absence of the band’s other founding members. In a long post on the MyGNR forum entitled “My homework assignment, Just the tip… (of the iceberg),” Rose writes, “Why keep the name? I’m literally the last man standing. Not bragging, not proud. It’s been a fucking nightmare but I didn’t leave Guns and I didn’t drive others out.” (more…)